Measuring Water

Back in preschool and kindergarten, kids learned about measurements in terms of “heavy” and “light,” but now that first grade is here, it’s time to expand the fun and do some scientific measurement. Lots of kids will recognize a doctor’s scale, or perhaps you even have one at home. This activity will help your child understand the basics of scientific measurement and give her a chance to be a little scientist. Here’s how you can do it at home!

What You Do:

Help your child fill the mixing bowl with water, all the way to the very top.

Have her place the bowl in the tray.

Then put one of your pieces of fruit into the water, so that it splashes over the edge and into the tray.

Pour the water from the tray into the measuring cup. Have her read how many ounces of water is in the measuring cup and explain that the fruit took up space in the bowl and pushed out water to make room. Then explain that the weight of the water splashed out by the fruit is equal to the weight of the fruit. This game is a great way for little minds to expand and gain appreciation for science!

ByJulie Williams

Julie Williams, M.A. Education, taught middle and high school History and English for seventeen years. Since then, she has volunteered in elementary classrooms while raising her two sons and earning a master's in school administration. She has also been a leader in her local PTA.

Updated on Jan 22, 2014

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